Caritas Internationalis calls U.S. foreign aid freeze ‘ruthless’

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The “ruthless” and “callous” decision of the Trump administration to freeze U.S. humanitarian and development aid “threatens the lives and dignity of millions” of people around the world, said Caritas Internationalis.

Stopping programs funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and recalling overseas staff “will jeopardize essential services for hundreds of millions of people, undermine decades of progress in humanitarian and development assistance, destabilize regions that rely on this critical support, and condemn millions to dehumanizing poverty or even death,” Caritas said in a statement Feb. 10.

Caritas Internationalis is the Vatican-based confederation of 162 national Catholic relief, development and social service agencies that operate in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. The U.S. bishops’ Baltimore-based Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Charities USA are members of the confederation.

U.S. President Donald J. Trump announced a 90-day freeze on foreign aid Jan. 20.

The Caritas statement said it recognizes “the right of any new administration to review its foreign aid strategy,” but “the ruthless and chaotic way this callous decision is being implemented threatens the lives and dignity of millions.”

A statement from the United Nations Jan. 27 said, “The U.S. government is the largest single donor of aid in the world, disbursing around $72 billion in assistance during 2023. It also reportedly provided more than 40 percent of all humanitarian aid accounted for by the U.N. during 2024.”

Alistair Dutton, secretary-general of Caritas Internationalis, said that aid programs globally will be forced to close or reduce staff and services, and “the resulting harm to people, particularly the poorest all around the world will be catastrophic, threatening the lives and dignity of millions.”

USAID, which began in 1961, “has been a vital partner of Caritas and the church globally, supporting vulnerable communities worldwide, providing lifesaving assistance for people affected by crises, alleviating hunger, delivering basic health care and education, improving access to clean water, sanitation, shelter and protection, and addressing the root causes of poverty,” Caritas said.

“This is an unhuman affront to people’s God-given human dignity that will cause immense suffering,” Dutton said.

Caritas Internationalis is working with its partners to find ways “to reduce the impact of the freeze and ensure continued support for as many vulnerable people as we can,” he said. “The lives and dignity of millions hang in the balance.”

Caritas called on the Trump administration “to reaffirm its commitment to compassion and peace by supporting the most vulnerable people worldwide.”

Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny, prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, told The Associated Press Feb. 9 that while any government had a right to review its spending, it also had an obligation to keep promises already made.

“There are programs underway, and expectations and we might even say commitments, and to break commitments is a serious thing,” the cardinal said.

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